NASA Honors History of Veterans in Space Program

More than half of all NASA astronauts, past and present, are military veterans. So it is fitting that in honor of Veterans Day, current and former astronauts have shared warm messages to all those who've served and sacrificed in the armed forces of the United States.

On Nov. 2, International Space Station Expedition 53 Commander and retired Marine Col. Randy Bresnik saluted veterans in a video message, alongside retired Marine Corps Col. and current space station flight engineer Mark Vande Hei, as well as retired Army Col., former Marine reservist and current flight engineer Joe Acaba. The three NASA astronauts asked that the sacrifices of veterans to maintain democracy always be remembered.

Happy Birthday United States Marine Corps. I want to thank all you & your families for their service and sacrifices to our @usmc & country. pic.twitter.com/h3IhZhLD1X

He and other astronauts, including former space station crewmember Jack Fischer, released special messages on social media in anticipation of Nov. 11, which marks the anniversary of the end of World War I and is now the holiday Veterans Day.

The blues and whites of planet Earth play backdrop to the Marine Corps medallion that floats in the ISS cupola during Bresnik's video message.

Out of the 375 NASA astronauts, 216 have been military veterans.

Credit: NASA

"I want to thank all of you and your families for their service and sacrifices to our corps and country," he said, highlighting his personal compassion for veterans. Before becoming an astronaut, Bresnik had a career in the military, beginning in May 1989 as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps and later as an F/A-18 test pilot in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Doris Elin Salazar joined Space.com as an intern in the summer of 2017. She received a B.A. in Sociology and Communications at Fordham University in New York City. Her work was previously published in collaboration with London Mining Network. Her passion for geology and the cosmos started when she helped her sister build a model solar system in a Bronx library. Doris also likes learning new ways to prepare the basil sitting on her windowsill. Follow her on twitter at @salazar_elin.